


Going Catmando

by Myulalie



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, Alternate Universe - Basketball, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Roller Derby, Cat Puns, Crying, Dick Pics, First Dates, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Hugs, M/M, Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things, Meet-Cute, Misunderstandings, Sharing Clothes, Strangers to Lovers, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:27:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28046169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myulalie/pseuds/Myulalie
Summary: It's a first meeting in the rain. Magnus is shivering, and Alec is chilvarous enough to offer his jacket. Both of them think the other is cute, of course, so Magnus organizes to meet again. A series of dates, in between their finals and pictures of kitten, two boys falling in love.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 23
Kudos: 113
Collections: Fluff vs. Angst Battle 2020, The Malec Secret Santa - Edition 2020





	Going Catmando

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lalelilolu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lalelilolu/gifts).



> I don't know if you saw through my poker face. I mean, how was I supposed not to show anything on VC, with the camera ON, when you said "I haven't heard from my Santa, I hope they didn't drop out"? NO LALE YOUR SANTA DIDN'T BECAUSE YOUR SANTA WAS EXTREMELY HAPPY TO HAVE YOU AS A GIFTEE. I love you, I'm grateful we met, and I really hope you enjoy this story. I loved writing it and it felt like something you'd like too ♥
> 
> Thank you to A_Taupe_Fox and my Australian housemate for beta-reading this!
> 
> You can tweet me at **#myulalie**!

Magnus trudges along the basketball court, his head bent forward and raindrops sliding down the side of his face. The campus is painted gray by the rain and the cold drops of water feel like weary tears on his cheeks. He fears his makeup is running with it.

Two students are playing basketball on the concrete, the thumps of the ball bouncing back and forth like thunder in the rain as they goad each other on. It’s a comic sight, the tall, dark haired one taunting his smaller, fairer counterpart. They move swiftly around the basketball hoop, shadows among the ever-falling water.

Magnus can’t see their faces through the rain, and doesn’t see the car coming either.

The car flashes by, lifting a wave of mud and water from a blocked road drain. One second to the next, and Magnus is completely drenched, covered in dirty water. He shakes his head, sending drops of too cold, sticky water into the rain and stares in disbelief at the driver’s face, unrecognizable through the windshield. The car disappears around the corner in spite of Magnus’ angry yelling as he runs after it.

“Come back here you-” he pants, and eventually stops running.

Magnus’ feet hurt, his high heels feel uncomfortable even to walk in, and he knows his already sheer shirt is now completely see-through. The blue fabric sticks to his chest, as do his olive pants. Magnus glances at the bold, gold and blue flowers along his legs, disappointed to see his outfit ruined by the rain.

He didn’t bring a coat with him today, for the sake of fashion.

Magnus sighs deeply and rubs his arms and shoulders, trying to warm up as he starts walking again. He’s shivering already and his messenger bag bumps against his hip, all too cheery after what just happened.

“Hey! Wait-” someone calls after him.

Magnus stops, glancing over his shoulder and blinking a few times to try and see the other student better. It’s Tall, Dark and Handsome from earlier, short on breath from intense exercise still. The stranger is hunched over some sort of bundle of leather and wool, keeping it away from the rain.

“You should take this. You’re going to catch a cold otherwise,” the dark haired man offers.

Magnus takes the black and gold letter jacket, grateful. It’s extremely romantic, and he can’t help but smile a little as he glances at the leather bomber. There are a few basketball pins at the front, and apparently the stranger’s name is Alec. Magnus fumbles with the jacket, catching sight of the other boy’s last name before finding the sleeves and putting it on.

“Lightwood?” Magnus reads aloud.

“I’m Alec,” Lightwood introduces himself. “I have three siblings and we’re all into sports so you might see it around a lot...”

Alec trails off, running a hand through his messy curls of damp, brown hair. He looks shy, not quite meeting Magnus’ eyes, nor looking at Magnus’ chest through the wet fabric of the button-up shirt. It makes Magnus smile as he melts into the warmth of the jacket. He steps closer to the other student, sparing a glance at the damp tank top sticking to the strong lines of Alec’s muscular chest.

“I’m Magnus. Thank you.”

He can feel the rain dripping down his forehead, flattening the artfully spiked streaks of purple and blue strands of hair. Magnus doesn’t look his best, he knows, yet Alec’s breath catches in his throat as he smiles back to Magnus.

“Can I… can I get your number? So that you can give the jacket back later?”

Magnus has a feeling Alec is not even hitting on him on purpose. 

It’s a nice change of pace from Magnus’ usually quite flirty encounters. He doesn’t mind per se, since he gets a lot of phone numbers and makes new friends this way. Magnus’ closest friends were never interested in flirting with him, however. 

Their loss. 

He grabs his phone from his bag, wiping water off the screen to send Alec a text. He’s adding a basketball emoji next to Alec’s name when another message comes in, from a guy he doesn’t even remember the face of. Magnus grimaces at the sight of a kitten playing with a blue bow. This is definitely not what the guy meant to send.

“Cute, is that your cat?” Alec asks, peering at the screen.

A nervous laugh breaks through Magnus’ lips and he shakes his head, pocketing the phone. Alec doesn’t press, a curling lock of hair falling in his eyes and Magnus startles when he feels a drop of water fall on his nose. It’s still raining and Magnus is sopping wet.

“Thanks again, I’ll text you when I’m home,” Magnus says, grinning.

Alec nods and Magnus takes a step back, pointing behind his shoulder because he’s not quite ready to turn around yet. Alec watches him with a gentle smile, his eyes shining through the rain, until Magnus finds the strength to look away.

Magnus goes to take off the letter jacket upon getting home, but a glance in the mirror makes him pause. It’s not in the same register as his outfit, but Magnus thinks it might look quite cute with something more laid back. Who would have thought? Magnus nods to himself and lays the jacket out to dry.

He jumps in the shower to warm up, washing his hair while he’s at it and thinks back on his encounter with Alec. The water is running hot and Magnus bites his lip, smiling. He gets out of the bathroom with a cloud of condensation and puts on more comfortable clothes, grabbing his phone as he does so. 

Magnus takes one last look at the picture of the cat before blocking the number. 

He’s not interested in unsolicited dick pics. _Going Catmando_ is not prominent enough, in Magnus’ opinion. The app turns dick pics into pictures of kittens and he recommends it to every person he knows that might need it. Speaking of which...

> **Cat:** _I got a dick pic. Again. As if I didn’t see enough dicks everyday._
> 
> **Magnus:** _Darling, how many times do I have to tell you? Go Catmando! That will make one less dick for you to deal with while we change the world for the better and teach guys not to send unsolicited dick pics!_

Magnus can almost hear Catarina’s sigh and wishes her good luck with her shift at the hospital. He texts Alec next, asking when they can meet up for Magnus to give the jacket back. 

Perhaps he’ll snatch a date as well, Magnus surprises himself wishing. Alec did not strike him as shy, but the bubbles that keep coming up and disappearing as the basketball player types his texts speak of hesitation and thinking over what to write for too long.

> **Magnus:** _We could go out for a drink while we’re at it ;)_
> 
> **Alec:** _Sounds fun._

Magnus giggles, sprawling on his bed to keep talking with Alec. The other boy is playing hard to get, or trying to play it cool at least. Magnus wants nothing more than to slip through the cracks and throw Alec off. 

Fairy lights glow warmly along the wall, lighting up familiar faces on the many pictures Magnus stuck there. He glances at the closest, Cat smiles in her scrubs and Ragnor hides behind an ancient looking book. 

> **Magnus:** _You know what’s fun? Roller skating. Meet you at the rink ;)_

He sends the time and place to Alec, rolling on his back with a sigh. 

Magnus’ loft is small, with too many books stacked on top of each other and clothes thrown all around. He loves it. He spies a picture of Raphael frowning above his desk, and frowns right back at the young genius. Raphael graduated from high school early and he has the looks as well as the brains. No need to be condescending, Magnus wants to tell him, but this is only a picture and Alec has replied.

> **Alec:** _Okay._

Magnus grins.

The roller skating rink is Magnus’ favorite place in town. He loves the retro style, neon tubes, bright lights and music blasting from the loudspeakers like the eighties are coming back to bite the skaters in the ass. Magnus knows quite a lot about that particular feeling, because roller derby gets dirty most of the time.

He meets Alec at the entrance, “Hi!”

“Hey,” Alec replies, his voice rising slightly when he meets Magnus’ eyes.

It’s endearing and Magnus leads the way towards the skates, holding his own pair in his hands already. They’re bright pink with glittery wings on the sides. Alec follows, looking around and Magnus is pretty sure he catches the other boy staring, undoubtedly appreciative of Magnus’ outfit. 

Magnus is quite proud of the golden necklaces resting on his dark tank top. He tucked the shirt into his denim shorts, throwing the letter jacket on top. Magnus also catches sight of a smile on Alec’s face before Alec gets a hold of himself. Alec hesitates in front of the shelf containing his size of skates, having obviously no idea of which pair to choose.

“I recommend the purple ones,” Magnus offers helpfully, ready to go.

Alec moves away from a grim pair of black skates with a bashful smile and takes the purple one instead. They’ll go really well with his dark jeans and hoodie, in Magnus’ opinion. Alec sits down to put the skates on and Magnus makes a show of bending to tighten the laces of his own skates. He glances at Alec behind him, winking when he finds Alec staring again.

“Come on, show me what you got,” Magnus teases, darting forward.

He doesn’t go far, and Alec catches up easily, “Do I have to pass some kind of test to get my jacket back?”

“That wouldn’t be fair,” Magnus shrugs. “My team won the last three championships.”

Alec gives him an impressed look and Magnus preens, spinning around to skate backwards and look at the other boy. The rink is pretty empty, so people give them a wide berth as they skate around.

“Your siblings are into sports too?” Magnus asks Alec, knowing this is a topic they can broach.

“Yeah, Isabelle does gymnastics, Jace plays soccer, and Max is a swimmer.”

Magnus straightens with interest, because Alec’s voice is higher when he talks about Max, pride seeping through Alec’s baritone. Magnus doesn’t dare ask about Alec’s brother though, and a moment later Alec speaks up again.

“We’re so proud of him for entering so many competitions and _winning_.”

Alec smiles brightly and Magnus nods, and inside he feels fuzzy, because Alec’s support for his little brother is heart-warming. Magnus smiles at Alec, trying to express his admiration, and Alec must notice Magnus’ interest, because he speaks over the music playing in the background.

“Max has a severe mobility impairment,” he adds.

They keep skating and the synthesizer goes crazy so Magnus swivels around, moving with the music. Alec is smiling still, so Magnus follows the other boy’s lead and keeps talking without missing a beat.

“Are they younger than you?”

“Yeah. Isabelle and Jace are two years younger than me, and Max is our baby, I’m almost ten years older than him,” Alec replies, grinning.

“You sound close to him though,” Magnus comments, spinning around.

They skate side by side, chatting about Alec’s siblings and Magnus’ roller derby team. Alec is easy to talk to, a good listener, but he needs a little coaxing to talk about himself. Magnus corners him off to the side after a while, grinning when Alec leans back against the fence and simply stares at him when Magnus hovers close. 

Magnus is about to press the palm of his hand to Alec’s chest when he changes his mind and reaches out to hold onto the other boy’s waist instead. Magnus tilts his head up for a kiss, but Alec ducks his head, swallowing quickly. Definitely shy, Magnus muses, and moves back.

“What do you say we get out of here?” he asks.

Alec nods and looks disappointed as they go sit down to remove their skates. It’s refreshing, Magnus’ dates don’t usually take their time like this and neither does he. Magnus is a people person, he likes putting himself out there and meeting new people. It’s the reason he’s the co-captain of the Brooklyn Hellhounds.

Magnus is easy to talk to and people aren’t intimidated to reach out to him. Or to send him unsolicited dick pics, the perks of leaving his number on the team’s website and some promotional posters.

Magnus bites his lip, deciding to let Alec set the pace, and wraps himself tighter in the black and gold letter jacket on their way out. He doesn’t miss Alec’s appreciative glance and struts forward, looking at the other boy over his shoulder.

“Are you hungry?”

“Yeah,” Alec hesitates. “I know this place you might like...” he trails off.

“Lead the way!”

Magnus keeps close to Alec and their arms brush as they near Taki’s Diner. The restaurant is old-fashioned, with a disgusting layer of grease over the table that Alec hurries to wipe down before letting Magnus take a seat. Red and blue ads stare them down and the menu is handwritten, with a home-made milkshake recipe that makes Magnus smile. 

Toffee and vanilla with a popcorn topping sounds perfect.

Alec doesn’t even look at the menu and the manager himself strides up to them with a grin, wrapping an apron around his waist. The man — Luke, his name tag reads — is way too obvious when he gives Magnus _a look_ , deciding whether he approves of Alec’s date or not, but eventually winks at Alec. Luke adjusts the apron and grabs a notepad to take their orders.

“The usual for you, Son?” he asks Alec, who nods. “And for you, young man?”

“I’ll try the home-made milkshake,” Magnus replies graciously.

Luke beams and jots it down, sauntering away to prepare their orders. Magnus takes the opportunity to go around the table and sit down next to Alec. It feels less formal this way, and Alec tenses briefly before coming to the same conclusion and relaxing slightly. His eyes trail down the length of Magnus’ legs under the table when Magnus crosses them.

“What’s your major?” Magnus can’t help but grin when Alec startles.

“Engineering.”

“That’s very vague.”

“Civil Engineering,” Alec explains, and his eyes light up with laughter, “I want to work with architects, design bridges.”

“Well I’m glad, because if you meant electrical engineering I would have left on the spot,” Magnus teases him.

“Do you study electrical engineering?” Alec asks him.

Magnus gasps in fake horror, “No! Chemistry.”

Alec chuckles and Luke comes back with a plate of fries and a soda for Alec. Then, he places a glass overflowing with whipped cream in front of Magnus, who hurries to scoop a mouthful of the popcorn on top before it gets soggy. He sighs in delight at the explosion of flavors on his tongue.

“This is good,” he moans, leaning into Alec.

The basketball player picks at the fries between them, fire spreading on his cheeks and Magnus chuckles. He takes a sip of his milkshake before leaning his head on Alec’s shoulder with a sigh.

“So, a guy came up to me and looked ready to get into a fight with me because of the jacket. Jealous ex, or someone who can’t stand you?”

Alec chokes on a mouthful of soda, “What? Are you alright? Did he hurt you?”

“Just kidding!” Magnus amends, touching Alec’s arm in an attempt to comfort him.

They stare at each other in silence and for a moment Magnus thinks he ruined everything. Then Alec puts his hand on Magnus’ knee, palm warm and surprisingly wide. Alec swallows quickly and locks eyes with Magnus, his thumb rubbing a circle onto Magnus’ naked thigh.

“You don’t have any exes to worry about.”

“Good,” Magnus breathes out, “So I can keep the jacket?”

Alec kisses him. His lips are rough over Magnus’, and the kiss is clumsy as Alec tries to take too much all at once, eager and impatient. Magnus misses him as soon as Alec moves back and chases after the engineering student, sliding a hand in Alec’s hair to take control of the kiss. 

The wet slide of their lips is smoother this time, and Alec gasps as Magnus runs his tongue over Alec’s upper lip. The kiss tastes of sugar and a shiver runs down Magnus’ spine in response as he scoots closer, throwing his leg over Alec’s.

Magnus sighs into the kiss when Alec sucks on his bottom lip, careful although his hand slides onto Magnus’ thigh. Magnus doesn’t mind the feeling of calloused hands on his skin, his own fingers curling into Alec’s hair, but Alec catches hold of himself and breaks away again, chest heaving.

“You can keep the jacket.”

Magnus invites Alec to his next bout. They struggle to find time to see each other in person with their fast approaching finals, so it makes sense to have Alec there. The Brooklyn Hellhounds are fairly popular for a roller derby team, and it’s nice to see a familiar face in the crowd too.

It’s not that Magnus doesn’t know the people that come to the bouts, but rather that he tends to avoid some of them. It’s what happens when he receives unsolicited dick pics from supporters. Magnus doesn’t want anything else to do with them. 

It’s easy enough to move away from one of the supporters that sent him a dick pic recently (it turned into a cute orange kitten), and Magnus moves along the neon lights around the rink, to the rhythm of upbeat music. 

He skates towards Alec with a grin, skidding to a stop in front of the basketball player. Magnus tugs on the hood of Alec’s sweatshirt, grinning, and Alec lays a hand on Magnus’ waist, hesitant.

“Hey,” Alec breathes out.

“Hi.”

Magnus knows he looks different than the last time they saw each other. The High Warlock of Brooklyn, Magnus’ persona, is a sight to behold, from the powerful flick of eyeliner around Magnus’ eyes to the deep crimson lipstick he wears. Magnus’ fishnet tights disappear beneath leather shorts and the plunging neckline of his shirt leaves little to the imagination, if the splatter of glitter on Magnus’ collarbones didn’t attract enough attention to his naked chest.

“I believe this calls for a good luck kiss,” Magnus suggests slyly.

“Are you sure? Your makeup,” Alec asks, frowning.

Magnus nods eagerly, leaning in and Alec chuckles, pecking him carefully on the lips. It’s sweet, in a way, that Alec pays attention to Magnus’ makeup, but it makes Magnus pout. He grabs a handful of the engineering student’s hoodie, bringing him closer.

“I know I don’t need much luck but that was barely a kiss. Do it properly,” he smirks against Alec’s lips.

Alec wraps his arms around Magnus’ waist and sweeps him off his skates this time. Magnus moans into Alec’s mouth, kissing back just as hard, panting by the time they break apart. Alec’s lips have taken a slightly pink tinge, and Magnus sends him one last kiss before rolling off, running his thumb around his mouth to remove any unflattering stains.

The Brooklyn Hellhounds win the bout.

Alec is sweet and has checked in on Magnus everyday, even offering to study together when Magnus lacked the motivation. The basketball player had taken Magnus’ refusal well, both of them very aware that they would get little studying done if they met up. 

They text in between studying instead. They chat for a while, avoiding the topic of their finals. 

> **Magnus:** _I’ve always wanted a cat_
> 
> **Alec:** _I knew you were a cat person!_
> 
> **Magnus:** _Are you? ;)_
> 
> **Alec:** _Guess you’ll have to find out..._

Magnus grins, a sappy smile he doesn’t bother to hide. Nobody can see him in his loft anyway and Raphael’s judgmental scowl from the picture on the wall doesn’t feel half as intense as it usually does in real life. 

Alec grows more and more confident every time they speak, to Magnus’ delight. 

He likes this playful side of Alec and cannot wait to finally meet up for coffee. A proper date is long overdue, although Magnus rather liked their outings so far. He has taken to wearing the letter jacket a lot and his friends have noticed, but none of them asked questions about the last name between Magnus’ shoulder blades.

Naturally, Magnus shows up to Alec’s game next. The sound there is deafening, the arena is so crowded with Shadowhunters supporters that Magnus struggles to see the other team’s supporters. He’s wearing Alec’s jacket and walks down to the court, lingering there and wondering if he’ll get to talk to Alec before the game.

The team runs out to a wave of cheers and Magnus catches sight of Alec’s tall frame, his dark jersey standing out against his pale skin. Alec looks around and beams when he spots Magnus, jogging up to him. Magnus feels like the crowd has disappeared for a moment and slides his hands in the back pockets of his jeans, smiling.

“How do you feel?”

“Good. We trained hard for this game,” Alec replies, stepping closer.

“No need for a good luck kiss then?”

Magnus is teasing, but Alec pecks him on the lips without a warning and grins, stepping away immediately. His teammates are getting ready and Magnus watches Alec go, lips tingling with the ghost of a kiss still.

He has already seen Alec play once, but this is different. 

Alec seems galvanized among his teammates and the roar of their supporters only spurs him on. Magnus jumps to his feet every time the shot clock is about to run out, deeply involved in the game, and chants with the rest of the Shadowhunters’ supporters to celebrate their victory.

Alec sprints across the court and climbs up the stairs to grace Magnus with a victorious kiss. He reeks of sweat and his jersey sticks to Magnus’ clothes as Alec holds onto the lapels of the letter jacket to keep Magnus close. Magnus would not change it for anything, even sliding a hand beneath Alec’s black and gold jersey to feel his strong back, wondering if Alec has a six pack.

“So you’re more into celebratory kisses?” Magnus breathes out when they finally part.

“Mostly into you,” Alec blurts out, blushing.

Magnus flops down on his bed with a sigh. Finals are over, now the only thing left to do is wait. He fumbles for his phone and finds Alec’s last message, glossy lips stretching into a grin. It’s time to plan their next date.

> **Magnus:** _Can’t wait to see you again_

Alec takes a while to reply sometimes, but not today. Magnus settles more comfortably on his bed as he reads the message, trying to think of somewhere to go, or something to do with the engineering student.

> **Alec:** _Should we meet up tonight?_
> 
> **Magnus:** _Definitely! I don’t really want to go out though..._
> 
> **Alec:** _Why not? You like going out_
> 
> **Magnus:** _Well, I’d rather keep you to myself_

It’s true, Magnus has never been alone with Alec and he wants to know what the basketball player is like when it’s just the two of them. Alec is bound to enjoy it more too, shy like he is, so Magnus is surprised he hasn’t agreed yet.

> **Alec:** : _Yeah? What for?_

Magnus smirks at that and sits up, snapping a selfie while he’s at it. He wore Alec’s letter jacket once again, with ripped jeans. His hair is messed up from running his hands through it all afternoon and Magnus’ makeup consisted mostly in mascara and eyeliner.

> **Magnus:** _You’d get all this just for yourself, plus we could order take out, cuddle and watch a movie together._

Alec takes longer to reply this time, so Magnus busies himself tidying his loft, but jogs back to his bed when he hears the notification of a new message. He smiles at the sight of a text from Alec. Magnus hurries to open it, and promptly drops the phone as soon as his eyes land on a tabby kitten with big blue eyes running in the grass.

This can’t be, not from Alec.

How ironic is this, Magnus muses painfully. He told Alec how much he likes cats and now, _Going Catmando_ turned a very unsolicited, very disappointing dick pic into a kitten. He blames himself almost immediately for expecting Alec to be any different. They kissed on the first date after all, and Alec nearly groped Magnus after winning his basketball game. Magnus should have expected the dick pic sooner or later.

He wipes his eyes angrily when he realizes he’s crying. Magnus is disappointed and it hurts more than getting in a fight, in his opinion, because there is no apologizing for this. Magnus glances at the kitten, quite the cutie this one, and throws his phone to the other side of the bed with a hiccup. 

The picture feels like a slap, and Magnus regrets even accepting the letter jacket from Alec when they first met. He should have known, who would bother giving their jacket to a stranger without ulterior motives?

Magnus’ phone lights up with another message, a picture again, and Magnus turns his back on the screen. He doesn’t want any more cat pictures. Maybe he should keep the jacket, just to spite Alec. He could pretend to be a crazy ex and ruin the engineering student’s future relationships. Magnus would probably do them a favor and spare them from unsolicited dick pics.

The messages keep coming and Magnus sits on the bed, wrapping his arms around his knees and hugging his legs close to his chest with an ugly sob. He ruined his makeup already, he thinks, and the messages won’t stop. How long will it take for Alec to understand that there is no point in sending more? Magnus is not interested.

At least they haven’t made plans for a date, Magnus won’t need to look at the kittens to cancel. Maybe it would have felt better to just bail on Alec though, and Magnus’ shoulders shake as he keeps crying. 

He should ring Catarina, tell her all about it. They would vent their frustrations together, and maybe Cat would finally go Catmando too.

Eventually, Magnus’ phone goes quiet again. He breathes in deeply and reaches out carefully to pick it up, wiping his eyes with his other hand. It’s covered in black stains, mascara and eyeliner wasted over yet another boy.

Magnus clenches his jaw as he unlocks his phone, ready to block Alec and delete his number, but his eyes inevitably fall to the kittens. It’s always the same one, in various poses and Magnus frowns. In all the time he has been using _Going Catmando_ , he never received the same kitten twice.

There are even familiar looking shoes in one of the pictures.

Magnus scrolls down against his better judgment and startles as Alec’s face comes into view, the kitten nuzzling against the basketball player’s neck. Magnus wonders idly how the kitten got up on Alec’s shoulder, then there is the dawning realization. He sends a message with trembling fingers, and hopes he won’t regret it.

> **Magnus:** _Do you have videos?_

The reply takes a while, but the video comes in eventually and Magnus plays it a few times, not believing his eyes, or his ears for that matter. Alec rambles happily, scratching the tabby kitten’s ears. They’re outside still, and Alec seems to be sitting cross-legged in the grass. Other cats stroll about and Magnus even catches a meow in the distance.

“I volunteer at an animal shelter — don’t tell anyone — and this little one won’t leave me alone. Isn’t he cute? I called him Church!”

Magnus shifts on his bed. This really wasn’t a dick pic then? He exchanges a few more texts with Alec, tentatively inviting the shy boy to his place, like he suggested earlier.

The animal shelter must be closer than Magnus thought, because Alec shows up at his door before Magnus gets to fix his makeup. Alec’s eyes are blown wide at the sight and he steps inside, cupping Magnus’ face and running his thumbs gently under Magnus’ eyes.

“What happened? Your finals...”

“It’s nothing,” Magnus tries to brush him off.

When he turns to face the mirror, his make-up looks almost alright. Alec removed the ungraceful stains on Magnus’ cheeks and even managed to make some sort of smokey-eye out of Magnus’ ruined eyeliner.

“Isabelle ruined her make-up a lot when she was in high school,” Alec says sheepishly.

Magnus smiles and steps closer to Alec, leaning into him and wrapping his arms around Alec. He breathes in deeply until he feels brave enough to explain what happened and the ridiculous conclusions Magnus came to.

“Have you ever heard of the Going Catmando application?”

“No,” Alec tilts his head, pressing a kiss to Magnus’ hair. “What is it?”

“It turns dick pics into pictures of kittens instead.”

Alec chuckles at first, but stops almost immediately as he realizes what happened. Magnus sighs and goes to move back when Alec tightens his arms around Magnus and they’re left staring into each other’s eyes.

“You thought… oh. I wouldn’t do that,” Alec mumbles.

“I didn’t think you would, so it came as a shock.”

“Poor Church,” Alec mutters.

Magnus lets out a giggle and hides his face in the crook of Alec’s neck, making the other boy laugh too. It’s good to clear things up and Magnus can’t help but think that later down the line, when they know each other better, maybe he won’t mind very solicited dick pics. 

Not yet though, and he hugs Alec in the meantime, listening to his heartbeat as they shake with laughter, together.

**Author's Note:**

>  **I take prompts!** Follow me [on tumblr](https://myulalie.tumblr.com/post/637141364802469888/string-of-pearls-and-prompts) and get in touch, my ask box is open ♥
> 
>  **On feedback:**  
>  “<3” as extra kudos are fine by me. Short comments give me just as much of an adrenaline rush as longer comments because my email notifications don’t discriminate! I give as long as I get (*coughs* read: I reply at length) so you decide if we’re having a quickie in the comments or if you’re taking me out on a date to have an actual conversation ;)
> 
>  _Constructive criticism is welcome_. Please bear in mind that while I will take it into account, I will not rewrite a story that has already been published. I’d rather incorporate relevant feedback (read: concrete examples and suggestions as to how to address the element in question) into a new work and write a different take on the same plot! Once again, I give as good as I get ;)
> 
>  _You are not, by any means, required to comment if you don’t want to_. I will publish every chapter of a complete story no matter the response to it. Find some more thoughts and tips on commenting [on my tumblr](https://myulalie.tumblr.com/tagged/commenting), I make moodboards for my fics too, if you want to follow me :D Happy reading ♥


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